| Ukraine, Russia Reach Deal on Gas Debt |
| Ukraine's state gas company Naftohaz struck a long-awaited deal to settle its natural gas debt to Russia's Gazprom, clearing the way for a joint pipeline project to bring gas supplies to Europe. Full Story
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| Home Depot Paid CEO $11.5M in 2002 |
| The Home Depot Inc. paid chairman and chief executive Robert Nardelli compensation of $11.5 million last year, nearly 17 percent less than the year before, as the company's financial performance dipped. Full Story
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| IMF Approves $701M in Loans to Turkey |
| The International Monetary Fund approved the release Friday of $701 million in loans to Turkey, the first such disbursement since a new prime minister took office last month. Full Story
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| American Airlines Dumps Executive Bonuses |
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| After sharp criticism from its rank-and-file, American Airlines dropped a plan Friday to award bonuses to select top executives if they stay at the embattled airline until 2005. Full Story
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| AP Photo – DONNA MCWILLIAM
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| Insurers Exclude SARS Virus From Coverage |
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| Insurers have begun excluding SARS virus coverage from policies written for sponsors of special events such as concerts, trade shows and conventions because they know too little about the disease and its risks. Full Story
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| AP Photo – CHEN XUESI
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| Poland Signs Deal to Buy Jet Fighters |
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| Poland on Friday signed a deal to buy 48 U.S.-made F-16 jet fighters for $3.5 billion, the biggest defense contract by a former Soviet bloc country since the end of the Cold War. Full Story
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| AP Photo – CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI
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| NYSE Probes Practices of 2 Trading Cos. |
| The New York Stock Exchange said Thursday it is reviewing the trading practices at several specialist firms. FleetBoston's Fleet Specialist subsidiary said it is conducting its own investigation and has suspended one of its specialists. Full Story
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| Union Pacific Severance Limits Approved |
| Shareholders of Union Pacific Corp. voted Friday in favor of subjecting the most generous executive severance packages to a shareholder vote. Full Story
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| New York Foreign Exchange |
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| Bechtel's Political Clout Helps Land Bid |
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| It's not just a history of building landmarks like the Hoover Dam that helped Bechtel Corp. win the first major Iraq reconstruction contract. The company is as well-connected as Washington insiders come. Full Story
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| AP Photo – JEROME DELAY
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| Midway Airlines to Fight Liquidation |
| Midway Airlines says it will fight a court official's motion that the company be liquidated, citing a commitment from investors it needs to get out of bankruptcy. Full Story
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| Trustee Sought for WorldCom's MCI Unit |
| An ad hoc committee of creditors for WorldCom Inc.'s MCI Communications Corp. is asking a bankruptcy court to appoint a trustee to administer the unit, according to a court motion. Full Story
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| SARS Crisis Sideswipes Asian Airlines |
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| While airlines around the world battled insolvency and fretted over the war in Iraq, Asian-based carriers rode out the industry's latest downturn a bit more smoothly. Then along came SARS. Full Story
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| AP Photo – STR
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| GM to Lay Off Workers at Delaware Plant |
| General Motors Corp. will lay off some workers at its Saturn plant in Delaware indefinitely following a four-week shutdown that starts in May, company officials said. Full Story
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| American's Pension Move Angers Employees |
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| American Airlines, which dodged bankruptcy this week, finds itself in the middle of another firestorm as employees facing huge pay cuts reacted angrily to news that top executives were promised big bonuses. Full Story
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| AP Photo – DONNA MCWILLIAM
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| Czech President Signs Ban on Tobacco Ads |
| Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday signed a law that bans most tobacco advertising, a presidential spokesman said. Full Story
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| Xerox CEO's 2002 Salary Was $5.2 Million |
| The 2002 salary of Xerox Corp.'s top executive, excluding options, climbed 48 percent to $5.2 million from $3.5 million a year earlier. Full Story
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| Tokyo Stocks Buoyed by Wall Street Gains |
| Tokyo stocks edged up Friday, pushed by solid gains on Wall Street overnight. The dollar was higher against the yen. Full Story
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| Boeing, US Airways Issue Layoff Notices |
| The airline industry's worst-ever slump, compounded by the war in Iraq, resulted in more layoffs at Boeing's aircraft factories and cuts at struggling US Airways, which planned to eliminate nearly 900 flight attendant jobs. Full Story
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| Poland Signs Deal to Buy U.S. Jet Fighters |
| Poland on Friday signed a deal to buy 48 U.S.-made F-16 jet fighters for $3.5 billion, the biggest defense contract by a former Soviet bloc country since the end of the Cold War. Full Story
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| West Nile Fears Keep Horse Doctors Busy |
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| Wes Schroeder rubs his hand along a yearling's neck, calming the horse momentarily before sliding a needle into one of its thick muscles. He pauses, waiting for any startled movement, then deftly injects a vaccine. Full Story
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| AP Photo – DAWN VILLELLA
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| Pa. Businessman Sees Value in Slag Heaps |
| Most people look at a slag heap as nothing more than a blemish on the landscape, a mountain of waste left over from the making of steel. Tony Kordell, on the other hand, sees opportunity. Full Story
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| SEC Asks Court to Hold Yuen in Contempt |
| The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking a federal court to find the former chief executive of media company Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. in contempt for his failure to testify in an investigation of the company. Full Story
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| Report: Seiyu Mulls Job Cuts in 3 Years |
| Seiyu, a Tokyo-based retailer partially owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is mulling a 40 percent job cut in the next three years, a major Japanese business daily reported Friday. Full Story
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| BVI Votes to Curtail Financial Secrecy |
| Parliament voted Thursday to curtail the level of secrecy afforded owners of companies incorporated in this offshore finance center. Full Story
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